Recommended Reading

[woundedsky]

Next spring, I'm looking forward to start bulding my cabin. This site have given me a plethora of ideas. I was wondering what are some good books to check out?

[glenn-k]

You could take a look at Johns list of Book Reviews.  http://www.countryplans.com/books.html

Other books of interest - From the Ground Up - and From the Walls In by Charlie Wing also recommended by John but out of print.  I like the Ken Kern books for alternative ideas.  John worked with Ken for a couple of years.  Mostly out of print but available maybe from Charmaine Taylor at   http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com/

[Amanda_931]

Ken Kern books tend to be readily available, sometimes in copier form, from dirtcheapbuilder.  Sometimes good used copies of his books are expensive from other sources.

Alibris and Amazon have a bunch of used book people who advertise through them.  (One of my cousins may be a vendor through one or both--certainly he's been working out of his basement and a computer for years).  Powells sells both new and used books on-line, a bit less 500 pound gorilla than Amazon.  But Amazon is soooo easy, big discounts for hardcover (probably not academic type, though) and quality paperback (not mass market paperback--not much profit margin there), and free shipping.  They have to discount, you can't sit in the store and browse to see if it's a book you really want.

If you have a local bookstore, it's probably worth patronizing them, paying the extra and ordering through them, etc.  The nearest bookstore to me is a small chain with the nearest stores to me 50, 80, and 120 miles away.  (There's a store in Tuscumbia whose stocking policies leave me baffled--I tried for a while to get them to stock the kinds of books I liked, but the results were pretty bizarre.  It would be a lovely store if it were 20 years older, and well stocked).

[littlegirlgo]

Don't forget your local library. My rural library has a great selection of building books and even much on alternative building and energies. Also interlibrary loan is great - where the smaller libraries can get books from the bigger ones for you.

[tc-vt]

There are some very good books on that list.  

The Nash book never ceases to amaze me for the amount of information packed into a book its size.  

The Hemp book on plumbing is the most informative book on plumbing I found and it includes information on roughing in under-slab plumbing.

The Alexander book will have you looking at things in an entirely new way.  You'll learn important design considerations, some so basic that you'll wonder why you never thought of them before.

I have the Wagner book but never used it much because most of my framing questions were answered in the Nash book.

The Cauldwell wiring book is one of the better books of its type (glossy pages with lots of color drawings and pictures that you usually find in the racks at Home Depot).  I think it is a Taunton book like the Hemp book.  Taunton Publishing usually puts out good books and is the publisher of the 'Fine' series of periodicals like Fine Homebuilding.

I also subscribed to the online Journal of Light Construction (and now receive the paper issues) which has an archive full of information.  I think there was also a bulletin board type of access where you could post questions.  I think they are now offering their archives on CD.

The other book I have which gets constant use is the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings by the International Code Council (ICC).  It has span tables, fastener tables etc.  The 2006 edition is out now.

Tom